PETS: Of cats and men this Father’s Day

With Father’s Day tomorrow, it might be just a perfect time to recognize a number of men who challenge the female stereotype of “crazy-cat” person.

One of the most macho cat lovers that ever existed was writer Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961). He was an American author, journalist, and winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Peace Prize for his work. Famously known for his hard drinking, adventurous lifestyle ways of deep-sea fishing, hunting, boxing, and bullfighting, he was definitely a pussycat when it came to the felines.

This brawny man known for his love of big game hunting truly enjoyed returning home to his little “purr factories” as he so fondly called them. However, the one feline in Hemingway’s life who undoubtedly was the most special was Snowball. The popular story on how Hemingway acquired Snowball is that a ship’s captain, Stanley Dexter, gave the author the six-toed while ball of fluff after he admired the cat’s polydactyl condition. Hemingway believed men should be “macho” so he did not hesitate in giving Snowball the chance to sow his wild oats with as many “loose and free-lovin” female cats as he could find. Due to those glorious unions, each of the 40-50 polydactyl “Hemmingway cats” that still live on the property of the Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West, Florida, are presumed to be descended from Snowball’s adventurous ways.

President Abraham Lincoln doted on his two cats, Tabby and Dixie, unexpected gifts from Secretary of State William Seward just as the Civil War began. During the Civil War, the President is quoted as stating, “Dixie is smarter than my whole cabinet! And furthermore she doesn’t talk back!” However, Mrs. Lincoln did not share her husband’s fondness for the kitties. When President Lincoln fed “Tabby” at a White House dinner, Mrs. Lincoln asked “Don’t you think it’s shameful for Mr. Lincoln to feed Tabby with a gold fork?” The President replied, “If the gold fork was good enough for former President James Buchanan, I think it is good enough for Tabby.”

Edgar Allen Poe (1809 —1849) was an American writer, editor, and literary critic. He is best known for his poetry and macabre short stories, among which is “The Black Cat,” a tale of a cat who brings retribution upon his murderous owner. He absolutely loved cats, especially his beloved kitty, Caterina, who is said to have adored him equally and would perch on his shoulder for hours while he wrote. Caterina died two weeks after Poe’s death due to her despondency over his absence.

Victor Hugo (1802-1885), the well-known writer whose works include “Les Miserables” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, wrote often in his diary about his fondness for cats. It was because of his love for domestic animals that he supported the establishment of the first animal protection law in France (the Grammont Law) in 1850.

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Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), better known as Mark Twain, an American novelist whose work includes ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’, was also an abolitionist, a supporter of women’s suffrage, and a man who adored cats. He frequently featured the felines in his literature. He was noted for giving them difficult-to-pronounce names like Appollinaris, Zoroaster, and Blatherskite. When he played pool, often a cat would be nestled in a corner pocket while the others chased the billiard balls. If a cat fell asleep while he was playing, he would stop the game instead of moving the kitty. In his novel ‘The Refuge of The Derelicts’, Twain wrote, “A cat ain’t ever anybody’s slave or serf or servant, and can’t be — it ain’t in him to be. And so, he don’t have to obey anybody. He is the only creature in heaven or earth or anywhere that don’t have to obey somebody or other, including the angels ... There’s always somebody a king has to obey ... but it ain’t so with a cat.”

There are many other notable figures with soft spots in their heart for purring felines. Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of the U.K who led Britain to victory over Nazi Germany during World War II. Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist who developed the theory of relativity. Isaac Newton, mathematician, astronomer, and physicist who is responsible for a variety of discoveries, including the laws of gravity and universal motion, calculus, and the cat door. The list goes on to include, George W. Bush, Pablo Picasso, Marlon Brando, Raymond Chandler, James Dean, Chris Hemsworth (AKA Thor), Sigmund Freud, Albert Schweitzer, and Jules Verne, to name but a few.

It would appear that being called a “crazy-cat” person can no longer be attributed to just the ladies. Apparently “real men” love cats too.

Ronnie Casey is vice president of PETS — Providing Essentials for Tehama Shelter. She can be reached at rmcredbluff@gmail.com. For more information about PETS, visit petstehama.org.